Mr Stephen Moorcroft has qualifications in Management Accounting and Finance, Industrial Relations, and Community Mediation and Conflict Resolution studies.
Stephen is a farmer at heart and has enjoyed a successful career in numerous agricultural enterprises. He was the General Manager of Fizantakraal agribusiness from 2002 to 2005 which included the management of trout farms, fruit and cut flowers. He spent the next decade as the Managing Director of Elgin Orchards, a fruit and wine farm with a staff of several hundred workers.
During his time in the Western Cape, Stephen was a founding member of the Elgin Foundation, an NPO which raises funds for community upliftment projects.
In 2016, Stephen and his family moved to his family’s farm in the Winterberg where he breeds livestock, crops and game.
Stephen has strong inter-personal skills and has years of experience in dealing with people from all walks of life. Having grown up on a farm in the Eastern Cape, he is tri-lingual (English, Afrikaans, Xhosa) and has an in-depth appreciation for different cultures and languages.
Stephen has past experience in school governing bodies and understands the importance of good school governance. He was Chairman of the Applewoods Prep School Board for several years, and is the current Chairman of the Old Prep Association. At a recent Council meeting, Stephen’s nomination as Chairman of the Prep Committee of Council was accepted and confirmed.
Stephen’s extensive experience in running complex businesses allows him to contribute to the oversight role of the College Council, and he strongly believes that schools need to be managed along the same business principles as successful companies.
When asked why he joined Council, Stephen writes :
I believe that, as a stakeholder in any community, it is important to contribute your time, energy, experience and passion to the ongoing success thereof. As an Old Preppie and Old Andrean, I feel that it is my duty to give back to the family of schools that helped form my future. Furthermore, I don’t believe in standing on the side-lines and basking in the glory of successes or complaining about shortcomings of any community. I believe that one is only truly part of any community if one actively and constructively participates.
